I am currently building a memory palace for criminal law;
To memorialize the year of cases and statutes I am trying to convert the numbers to letters based on their place in the alphabet ( i.e 1 = a = ant, 9 = i = iguana, 7 = g = giraffe)
so 1977 for me is an ant, iguana and two giraffes
the problem is how to recall in the right order, and without causing confusion in the ‘scene’ I create them in.
I started off imaging the first two animals in a characters left hand, and the second two in the right;
so for example: an ant scurrying along the back of an iguana on/in the left hand, and two giraffes with their necks tied together in the right…but later when it comes to recall i struggle to remember who had what animals in which had (particularly with multiple characters in one ‘scene’ all with their respective dates.
can anyone suggest a better method, or way to help keep it unscrambled?
Cheers.
I would recommend creating a list of persons, associated actions, and associated objects for the numbers 00-99 (or at least 0-9).
For example, I have a list of 00-99 and a diff list of 0-9. I’ll just use the 0-9 list for this example.
the person for 1 is R2-D2 from Star Wars
the action for 9 is pouring (from a pitcher/jug of liquid)
the object for 7 is a black belt
the person for 7 is Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid
So to remember the year 1977 with this “1 digit PAO system” I would picture R2-D2 pouring a jug of milk on a karate black belt. Mr. Miyagi would come running in and knock R2-D2 out of the way.
If I used a “2 digit PAO system” which is what I use when I have an even number of digits to memorize, I’d have this.
My person for 19 is Steve Jobs
My action for 77 is smelling
my “filler” object for extra stuff like this is rain.
So to remember 1977 with the 2 digit PAO system I’d picture Steve Jobs reaching his hands out and catching rain drops in his hands, then smelling it.
This way I can’t mix up the order and think “Wait, was it 1977 or 7719? Or maybe it was 1779 or 1797?” because I always go in the same order: PERSON performing ACTION on OBJECT.
Creating a 00-99 system is hard and time consuming, as you need 100 distinct characters, actions and objects. I recommend you start with a 0-9 system (only 10 PAOs needed) and slowly creating your 00-99 system.
I would use the major system.
First of all, do you really need the century? How many cases will you need to memorize from the 1700’s or the 1600’s?
I suspect that most cases will be from the 1900’s, a couple from the late 1800’s and some new ones from 2000 onward.
Let’s skip the century. 1977 becomes '77 and this is cake in the major system.
Here is a list: http://timothykenny.com/accelerated-learning/major-system-cheat-sheet-for-1-100
A cake is alot easier to memorize than an ant, an iguana and two giraffes. And think about when you are done memorizing this, how many ants and iguanas will inhabite your palace?
Thanks guys, both suggestions sound better than my current technique! Its becoming very clear that the real hardwork is establishing a solid foundation, whether PAO or major system…better get memorising some lists… Will be much better than all these animals running amok in my head! 